


Choices

by kjack89



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Developing Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-17 01:38:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9298427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kjack89/pseuds/kjack89
Summary: “Janus came to me in my dream and was laughing at me, or at least, one of his faces was. And the other one said, ‘Your time will soon be at hand, Son of Jupiter. And then you must choose. One way or another— choose rightly, or choose wrongly, it matters not. What matters is only that you choose’.”Nico nodded slowly. “So, typical visit from a god, in other words,” he mused dryly, and Jason only just managed a smile.“Something like that.”





	

**Author's Note:**

> In a mark of unusually auspicious timing, [impetusofadream](https://tmblr.co/mv8cqWnMCAhff7LVV74h7mQ) brought to my attention [the new Percy Jackson musical](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Frickriordan.com%2F2017%2F01%2Fthe-lightning-thief-musical-arrives-off-broadway%2F&t=NWEyOGY2MWU5NGIzZGJhZTdlMzJhNTBhNDQ0YjJiYjZjZGVjYzVmNCw1YU5Pazk1SQ%3D%3D&b=t%3ApZjlpbI6tZNOhKU-5XBGfQ&p=http%3A%2F%2Fimpetusofadream.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F155714564383%2Fmortal-apollo-rrriordan-so-cool-the&m=1) (starring Les Mis’ own Chris McCarrell — because once a Barricade Boy, always a Barricade Boy #whenfandomscollide), and it was just the motivation I needed for my first foray into writing for the PJO fandom.
> 
> For  [@axis-lunar](https://tmblr.co/mpEIno8PCgmR2dEXJb_Uz0g), who requested a Jason/Nico fic and who also promised to be gentle with my first attempt at that pairing (which this fic is). I hope you all will be just as gentle, since this is my first PJO fic (though constructive criticism is always welcome).
> 
> Set some years after HoO and as if ToA hadn't happened (because I haven't read it in a long while and was too lazy to go make sure everything conformed to canon).
> 
> Usual disclaimer — if you recognize it, I don't own it. Please be kind and tip your fanfic writers in the form of comments and/or kudos!

“Have you ever thought about duality?” Jason asked from where he was lying on his back on Nico’s bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Nico blinked up at him, the dark circles that permanently surrounded his eyes seeming even deeper, and he stuck his highlighter in his law textbook so that he wouldn’t lose his place. “You know,” he said patiently, “the agreement was that you could hang out here while I studied only if you promised not to disrupt me.”

Jason rolled over and made a face at him. “Forgive me for not realizing that a simple question was disrupting you,” he said. “You don’t have to answer it if it’ll disrupt you that much.”

Nico sighed and rolled his eyes. “Is this about a quest?” he asked, and when Jason just shrugged, he asked, “Is this about Piper?”

Now Jason scowled at him. “Not everything is about that,” he muttered, though the tips of his ears turned red.

“Well, good,” Nico said, picking up his highlighter and turning back to his textbook. “Because I’d hate to have to remind you that it was you who broke up with her, so if you’re having any regrets…”

He trailed off and Jason huffed a sigh, rolling back onto his back. “I don’t regret it,” he said, his voice quiet. “I miss her, of course, but it was for the best. She’s almost done with college and she should be free to pursue everything she’s ever wanted without being weighed down by me.”

Nico sighed as well. “You were hardly ‘weighing’ her down,” he said, throwing his eraser at Jason, who barely made it out of the way in time. “And if this is going to turn into a pity party, you’re going to have to move it elsewhere. I really do need to study for this exam.”

“Why in Hades are you getting a law degree anyway?” Jason grumbled, pulling himself into a sitting position.

“You answered your question by the way you asked it,” Nico told him, staring at the same paragraph he had reread eighteen times already. “My dad wants me to help out in the Underworld, sit in on some judgments to help expedite the judgment process since we’ve got a bit of a backlog. But I told him I would only do it if I could get a law degree first so that I could feel more comfortable passing judgment on people.” He shrugged and glanced over at Jason. “Besides, that way it bought me some time so that I could stay up here instead of splitting my time.”

Jason gave him a look. “Yeah, more time studying and not doing anything fun,” he complained, though it was tempered by a slight smile. “It was better when you were still dating Will. At least then there was a chance that you’d be somewhere other than your apartment, buried in a book.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “If you’re not having fun, you can always leave,” he shot back, resorting as always to the prickly side of his personality when confronted with the truth he’d rather not face.

But like always, Jason, with his warmth and charm, ignored Nico’s prickliness. “C’mon, you never even answered my original question,” he said, flopping back down on the bed. “Do you ever think about duality?”

Nico leaned back in his chair, his expression guarded as he twirled his pen absent-mindedly through his fingers. “I am a child of both the living world and the Underworld,” he said quietly. “Of course I’ve thought duality. I’ve _lived_ it.”

Jason sat upright, his expression cautiously eager. “See, that’s why I came to you,” he said, his voice low and with a strain that hadn’t been there before. “I knew that if anyone understood, it’d be you.”

“Jason, what is this _about_?” Nico asked, propping his chin on his hand and staring at Jason with confusion.

For a moment, Jason hesitated, then he shrugged. “I had a dream,” he said guardedly.

Were it anyone else, Nico might have laughed it off. But dreams for demigods were never normal dreams, so it was with understanding that he asked, “What about?”

“Janus— you know, god of beginnings, endings, and...choices,” Jason said, tracing an idle pattern on the bed with his finger. “He came to me in my dream and was laughing at me, or at least, one of his faces was. And the other one said, ‘Your time will soon be at hand, Son of Jupiter. And then you must choose. One way or another— choose rightly, or choose wrongly, it matters not. What matters is only that you choose’.”

Nico nodded slowly. “So, typical visit from a god, in other words,” he mused dryly, and Jason only just managed a smile.

“Something like that.”

Nico crossed his arms in front of his chest, frowning slightly. “So, disconcerting, sure, but you’ve had worse dreams, which I realize probably isn’t comforting in and of itself. Janus just said that you would have to choose, right? So you’ll have a choice coming up.”

Jason hesitated. “There’s a little more than that,” he hedged. “I’ve had the dream probably five or six times now, but the most recent time, there was more to it. Janus told me…” Again he hesitated. “He told me my life hangs in the balance of my decision.”

Now Nico sat bolt upright, his hand automatically reaching for where his Stygian iron sword normally hung at his side. “Are you in danger?” he asked quietly. “Have you seen Rachel, or consulted an augur at Camp Jupiter?”

“I don’t think it’s a danger thing,” Jason said, and Nico relaxed, though only slightly, his fingers still itching for his sword. “I think it’s more that the choice I make will affect the rest of my life.”

Nico frowned at him. “And what choice do you think that is?”

Jason shook his head. “The one I’ve tried to avoid making ever since I landed at Camp Half-Blood,” he said quietly. “The ultimate decision for me: Greek, or Roman. Son of Zeus, or Son of Jupiter. Praetor of the Legion, or head counselor of Cabin 1.” He shook his head again. “It’s a choice I’ve put off making this far, and I’m not sure it’s one I can ever really make.”

“I thought this was already settled,” Nico said, his brow furrowed. “Ever since the Camps have been made aware of each other and the statue of Athena was returned, campers have been able to go freely between the two camps. You’ve spent just as much time in New Rome as you have in Camp Half-Blood.”

“Yeah, I know,” Jason said reluctantly. “But choosing would determine the course of the rest of my life, and maybe it’s time that I did choose.” He shrugged. “Piper was what was keeping me in the Greek world, and without that, maybe I belong back in New Rome. I could, I don’t know, settle down, start a life there.”

Nico made a gagging noise. “You sound as bad as Percy and Annabeth,” he scoffed. “Settle down? Start a life? You _have_ a life.”

Jason shrugged. “Sure, but I have to settle down at some point, don’t I?” he asked. “And knowing where I belong means knowing where I should settle.”

“And you feel like you belong in both,” Nico finished. “Which brings us right back to the topic of duality.” He reached up to run a hand through his hair. “Why are you so concerned about settling down, anyway? You’re young, even if the average lifespan of demigods hasn’t always been great. And you’re hot, so it’s not like you’re going to have difficulty finding someone after Piper.”

Jason flashed a grin at Nico. “You think I’m hot?” he asked.

Nico flushed and looked away. “Shut up, you know what I mean,” he muttered. “Anyway, I don’t intend on settling down in this world or the Underworld anytime soon, especially since it’s not like I’ve got anyone to settle down with at the moment. And truthfully, I don’t even want someone like that at the moment.”

Jason’s grin faded and he couldn’t quite meet Nico’s eyes. “Right,” he muttered. “No need to settle down at the moment, or anything like that.”

“What?” Nico asked, laughing slightly. “Did I hit a nerve? Do you have a secret crush on someone? Is that the choice that Janus is referring to?”

“Of course not,” Jason snapped, standing up from the bed and reaching down to gather his things. “I’m just going to go.”

Nico stared at him, confused. “Jason, wait—” he started, but it was too late, and Jason was already gone. For a moment, Nico looked like he might follow him, but then he glanced at the clock on his wall and his opened textbook, heaved a sigh, and turned back to this desk, only the tension in his shoulders revealing that his mind was far from his studies.

* * *

The following afternoon, Jason was in thorough sulk mode in the Zeus cabin, lying on his back in his bunk and trying to ignore the ever-looming presence of his father. He closed his eyes, listening to the thunder rolling across the cabin, and he would have completely missed the sound of someone appearing in the cabin if that person hadn’t happened to run smack into the massive statue of Zeus and curse loudly.

Jason sat upright. “Nico?” he asked incredulously.

“At your service,” Nico managed, rubbing his shin and wincing. “And I’ll have you know, I think I bombed my exam today, no thanks to you.”

Jason merely raised an eyebrow at him. “Bombed it?” he asked skeptically.

NIco shrugged. “Ok, so I probably got a B on it — but that _should_ have been an A.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared at Jason. “So do you know why I came all the way out here?”

“You shadow-traveled, don’t pretend like it was some hardship,” Jason groused, though he was intrigued despite himself. “Why did you shadow-travel all the way out here, anyway?”

“Because I wanted to apologize.” Jason looked surprised and Nico flushed slightly and hurried onward. “I’m the last person who should be cracking jokes about secret crushes, especially to you when you were so great after, you know, everything with Eros.”

Jason shook his head, his tone gentle as he told Nico, “That was years ago. You have nothing to apologize for.”

“Even so,” Nico continued determinedly. “I hope the only choice you have to make today is to forgive me.”

A smile flit across Jason’s face and he shook his head again. “There’s honestly nothing to forgive.”

Nico grinned. “So no secret crush, then?” he said, his tone clearly teasing.

“Well, I didn’t say that,” Jason replied.

For a moment, Nico looked surprised, but after the previous conversation, clearly chose not to press the issue, instead leaning against the wall of the cabin as he changed the subject. “Any more dreams about Janus last night?”

Jason sighed and nodded, rubbing a tired hand across his face as he stood up from his bunk. “Yeah, last night. Janus told me that my choice was almost in front of me.” His tone turned curious. “And then he told me not to worry, that when I saw it before me, I would just know.”

“Know what?” Nico asked.

Jason took a step closer to him. “What the right choice is,” he said softly, and for the first time, Nico seemed to realize just how close they were standing.

“And, uh, what—” Nico started, but before he could finish, Jason closed the space between them and kissed Nico.

For a moment, Nico just stood there, eyes wide, and Jason pulled back, panic flaring in his eyes. “Oh, _deodamnnatus_ ,” Jason swore, but before he could say anything more, Nico grabbed him by the front of his shirt and kissed him back, his fingers clutching Jason’s shirt like it was a life preserver.

When they broke apart next, in truly uncharacteristic fashion for either of them, neither seemed able to look the other in the eye, though they were both smiling. “So, uh, do you think that was the decision that you needed to make?” Nico asked.

Jason smiled slightly at him and reached down to take his hand. “I think it just might be,” he said.

Nico hesitated for a moment before he blurted, “You know, I’ve met Janus as well, a long time ago now, back when I was in the labyrinth.”

“What decision did you have to make?” Jason asked, curious.

Nico shrugged. “The usual: whether to follow the advice of a homicidal ghost or listen to my friends. Or, I guess more accurately, whether or not to forgive Percy and let Bianca go.” He shook his head slightly. “The choices Janus presides over are rarely easy, and often carry heavy repercussions.” He hesitated. “I don’t want you to make the wrong one.”

Now Jason stared blankly at him. “What are you talking about?” he asked. “This wasn’t a hard decision at all. I...like you, I guess, for lack of better way of putting it. And I had to choose whether to act on those feelings or not. Didn’t I?”

Nico carefully pulled his hand away from Jason. “Is it really as simple as that?” he asked.

“What are you trying to say?” Jason asked, a little hurt. “Do you not want me to choose you, or whatever?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Of course not, you idiot,” he said affectionately. “But think of everything you talked about last night, about the need to know where you belong and how Piper was what was keeping you here. I just—” He hesitated. “I don’t want you to settle. Not for me or for anyone.”

Jason’s expression was carefully blank as he reached up to rest his hand lightly against Nico’s cheek. “Now who’s being an idiot?” he asked lightly, before leaning in and kissing Nico again. “I’m not settling,” he told Nico with conviction. “For the first time in a long time, I feel like this is exactly where I’m meant to be. And as far as choices go, maybe in this case it’s better not to make any bigger decisions than this.”

Nico grinned and kissed him before asking, “So what do we do now?” Jason half-turned to look pointedly at his bunk and Nico wrinkled his nose. “Yeah, I’d feel more comfortable doing that without the giant statue of your dad watching us.”

“So where do you want to go?” Jason asked.

Nico looked thoughtful. “Well, for their first, um, whatever, Percy and Annabeth made out underwater. We could do something similar.”

It was Jason’s turn to wrinkle his nose. “What are you suggesting?” he asked. “You want to go make out in the Underworld?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “No,” he said patiently, and when Jason still looked confused, Nico leaned in, kissed Jason’s cheek and told him, “In case you’ve forgotten, you’re the son of the god of the sky. You can fly.”

“It’s not really _flying_ ,” Jason told him, “more controlling the air currents—” His eyes went wide when he realized what Nico was getting at. “ _Oh_.”

“There we go,” Nico said, smirking, and he reached up to pat Jason’s cheek. “Knew you’d get there eventually.” He held out his hand. “Now are you coming, or what?”

“Oh, yeah,” Jason said, grinning, and he grabbed Nico’s hand and tugged him toward the cabin door. “This is one choice that’s easy to make.”


End file.
